U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is a P.R. organization of "more than 20 of the leading farmer- and rancher-led agricultural organizations" that have "joined together to fund programs that bolster the image of agriculture and enhance public trust in our food supply." The Alliance was formed in November 2010. They list as their objectives:


 * 1. Increase consumer, consumer influencer and thought leader trust and confidence in today’s agriculture.
 * 2. Serve as a resource to food companies on the benefits of today’s agricultural production.
 * 3. Work with leading health, environmental and dietary organizations to demonstrate the benefits of today’s agricultural production.
 * 4. Increase the role of U.S. farmers and ranchers as the voice of animal and crop agriculture on local, state and national food issues.

USFRA was formed in response to negative publicity for the agriculture industry, including "the release of videos that show male chicks being put into grinders, egg-laying hens in battery cages and the mistreatment of hogs in large confinement operations." Additionally, they cite opposition to genetically modified organisms, fertilizer, and pesticides as reasons for their creation. According to the USFRA, such negative publicity "threatens farmers' ability to produce food for the world's population." USFRA asserts that a mere 2 percent of farmers are the cause of the problems agriculture is criticized for by environmentalist and animal rights activists.

USFRA plans to use social media (such as Twitter) along with a PR campaign to promote their message. The Alliance cannot legally lobby the U.S. government because some of its members are check-off programs (organizations established by the government that collect money from their members used for marketing and research).

USFRA has hired the global advertising and PR agency Ketchum and "plans to launch a consumer-focused communications campaign this July [2011]." USFRA projects it will have a $20 million annual budget for each of its first three to five years. Ketchum has previously worked with other large agricultural clients, such as the United States Potato Board, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and ConAgra Foods.

Criticism
Almost immediately after the group formed, Susan Schneider of the blog Agricultural Law wrote:
 * "The press releases issued by the new USFRA all seem to imply that if we just tell everyone how good agriculture is, the problems will go away. However, an ad campaign will not clean up wells contaminated by industrialized dairy operations.  It will not create more water when underground acquifers are depleted.  It will not halt the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  It will not slow fossil fuel consumption.  It will not make our food any safer or pay our migrant workers a living wage.


 * "Shouldn't funds be spent to figure out ways to address these and other significant problems while preserving agricultural productivity? Wouldn't it be fantastic to see agricultural groups coming together to solve problems, or even more amazing -  coming together with consumer groups to discuss solutions to our problems?  Isn't an ad campaign just another way to pretend that the problems don't exist?


 * "Let's have an honest discussion, i.e., a dialogue about the sustainability of our food system - environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability (making sure that farmers earn enough to cover the costs of good production practices), not an ad campaign.  The farmers that I admire are the kind of people that step up to problems and are always looking for better ways to do things.  Not shoving problems under the rug and advertising complacency."

Members
Member organizations include:
 * American Egg Board (AEB)
 * American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF)
 * American National Cattle Women (ANCW)
 * American Sheep Industry (ASI)
 * American Soybean Association (ASA)
 * American Sugar Alliance
 * Beef Checkoff (CBB)
 * Federation of State Beef Councils (FSBC)
 * Iowa Soybean Association
 * National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG)
 * National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)
 * National Cotton Council (NCC)
 * National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)
 * National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF)
 * National Pork Board (NPB)
 * National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)
 * Southern Peanut Producers Federation (SPPF)
 * U.S. Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY)
 * U.S. Grains Council (USGC)
 * United Egg Producers (UEP)
 * United Fresh Produce Association (United Fresh)
 * United Soybean Board (USB)
 * U.S. Soybean Federation (USSF)
 * Western Growers (WGA)

Board Members
The Board's executive committee, elected November 5, 2010 is as follows:
 * Chair: Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation
 * Vice Chair: Phil Bradshaw, United Soybean Board
 * Secretary: Bart Schott, National Corn Growers Association
 * Treasurer: Dale Norton, National Pork Board
 * At-Large: Gene Gregory, United Egg Producers
 * At-Large: Forrest Roberts, National Cattlemen's Beef Association

Additional board members are as follows:
 * Austin Brown, III, Beef Checkoff
 * Scott George, Federation of State Beef Councils
 * Dallas Hockman, National Pork Producers Council
 * Aaron Putze, director of external relations for the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA)
 * John Starkey, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association

Management
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers is managed by Drake & Company.


 * General Manager: Hugh Whaley
 * Communications and Contractor Manager: Cindy Hackmann

Contact Information

 * U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance
 * 16020 Swingley Ridge Road, Suite 300
 * Chesterfield, MO 63017
 * Phone: (636) 449-5086
 * Email: info@usfraonline.org
 * Web: http://www.usfraonline.org/

External articles

 * Mike Callicrate, US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, No-Bull Food News, April 21, 2011.
 * Michael J. Crumb, Farm Groups Form Alliance To Fight Bad Publicity On Animal Welfare, Biotech, Huffington Post, January 31, 2011.